South Africa: Age dependency ratio

The latest value from 2025 is 48.39 percent, an increase from 48.31 percent in 2024. In comparison, the world average is 57.96 percent, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for South Africa from 1960 to 2025 is 68.72 percent. The minimum value, 48.31 percent, was reached in 2024 while the maximum of 84.66 percent was recorded in 1971. See the global rankings for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.

The age dependency ratio for South Africa is calculated as follows: Age dependency = (people younger than 15 and older than 64) / (working age people ages 15-64). A higher value for South Africa and other countries means that employed people have to support more non-working people, either young or old.

Definition: Age dependency ratio is the ratio of dependents--people younger than 15 or older than 64--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.